Eloisa went silent for a moment while she considered that information.

“I thought LeClair was just a strong aura reader,” she said eventually.

“You didn’t see her resonate with the artifact. I’m telling you, she’s more than an aura reader.”

“Think she’s got her grandmother’s talent?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Do you think she knows that?”

“No,” Gwendolyn said. “Not yet, at any rate. But now that she’s got the camera—”

“Are you saying Olivia might be able to activate the camera?”

“I have no idea,” Gwendolyn said. “All I know is that the camera is our only solid link to Vortex, and Olivia LeClair is the only one who has a chance of using it to find that old lab.”

CHAPTER 49

Victor stood with Lucas at the edge of the grand ballroom. They sipped champagne and watched the happy crowd celebrate.

“To be honest,” Lucas said, “I was afraid this would be one boring wedding. I didn’t expect a bunch of people living in an intentional community on a rural island to know how to throw a party. Happy to say I was wrong.”

“I wasn’t too hopeful myself,” Victor admitted. “It’s a damn good thing everyone is staying overnight. The way the champagne and booze are flowing, no one should be driving.”

“Couldn’t get off the island tonight anyway,” Lucas pointed out cheerfully. “Not without a boat or a plane. The ferry doesn’t arrive until tomorrow morning.”

“There is that,” Victor said. “We’re definitely not in Las Vegas anymore.”

The bride’s family had decided to combine the wedding with what the locals called a Moontide celebration. As far as Victor could tell, that aspect of the event had involved walking an elaborate labyrinth as a form of meditation, followed by music and the drinking of some special herbal tea. He had worried a little about what, exactly, was in the tea but Sierra had assured him that no hallucinogens were involved. We only break out the good stuff for the winter and summer solstices, she had said. He could not tell if she was teasing him. Lucas informed him the comment had, indeed, been intended as a joke. Victor was not so sure.

The ceremony had been an equally solemn affair. The bride’s father had written a poem for the occasion, something about sticking to one’s path once it has been illuminated. The bride’s mother had sung an aria that bathed the crowd in the invisible energy of hope and optimism. Victor hadn’t picked up on that right away. Lucas had been obliged to explain the nuances of the music.

The entire Quest community had turned out for the marriage of Sierra and North. The festivities took place in the elegant old hotel that was normally marketed by the locals as a corporate retreat. There were plenty of rooms for the guests, which was a good thing, because there were a lot of them. They came from Fogg Lake, Seattle and Las Vegas.

After the ceremony was concluded the bar had opened and the party had finally gotten started.